41 posts tagged “bento”
Kind of a slapdash lunch this week. This is what happens when I go to the grocery store without making a plan and a list first.
- Bite-size cucumber & cream cheese sandwiches on dark rye.
- Apricot.
- Trail mix.
- Vegetarian "chicken" nuggets--fast becoming a freezer staple. With catsup.
- Sliced lotus roots that have been brining in apple cider vinegar and kosher salt for about 10 days.
- Milk pudding cake. I don't know why it's called that, it doesn't have pudding inside. It's not too sweet, even the icing. More like pan dulce than cake.
Simple bento this week, made with what was on hand. I had a hectic week at work and didn't really have time to plan before I went to the grocery store. I like all the colors in this lunch, it makes it very appealing.
Bottom:
- Soboro, half ground beef and half scrambled egg.
Top:
- Cherries.
- Baby dill pickles (I want to use these up so I can put some sliced lotus root in the brine to flavor).
- White cheddar cheese cubes.
- Sliced radishes.
Lid:
- Fried tofu puffs.
And for dessert off to the side are a couple of white peach jellies. Seaweed extract instead of konjac this week.
Bottom layer:
- Omurice with crumbled bacon. Why? Because bacon is delicious, that's why.
- Cherry tomatoes.
- Catsup for the omurice.
Top layer:
- Morningstar Farms broccoli-cheddar veggie bites.
- More cherry tomatoes.
Off to the side is a little red bean paste-filled wheat cake. It took a while for my western palate to get used to red bean paste; we just don't tend to think "dessert" when we think of beans. But now I really like it.
Top:
- Vegetarian "chicken" nuggets with Kewpie mayo--suprisingly quite chickeny
- Mushroom frittata with mild white cheddar*
- Waffle fries
Bottom:
- Green grapes
- Tonkatsu sauce
- A little more mayo
Off to the side are a couple of strawberry yogurt-flavored konjac jellies
*Unfortunately, the only pan with an oven-safe metal handle that I have isn't non-stick, and the frittata totally came out in pieces. So it's not pretty, but it's still perfectly edible and I wasn't about to throw out half a dozen eggs, 8 oz. of cremini mushrooms, and some really lovely cheese, especially with how expensive food has gotten.
<--- Please ignore my partially-made bed.
I went to Ranch 99 after work last night. I can tell I'm going to be in there a lot, since that shopping center--which is all Asian stores, except for the Weinerschnitzel--is only about 3 minutes by bike from the house. (BTW the house needs a name and I think I'll call it the Farmhouse, because that's what it is.) I only went in for milk and Calpico (okay fine, and Pocky) and wasn't even looking for it, but I found they now carry Kewpie Mayonnaise!
That probably seems like a dumb thing to be excited about, but having Japanese mayo for my bentos makes me happy. Besides, it tastes better. It's tangier (due to the presence of either apple cider or rice vinegar), and it's not loaded with preservatives. It's sold in the refrigerated case, and you have to keep it cold even before you open it. It's not shelf-stable, and it's only good for a couple of months. I would have bought 2 since it was 2 for 1, but I'd never get through it all before it spoiled.
I'm actually surprised I never came across it before now. I remember looking for it at the Newark Ranch 99 and not finding it. Natasha asked me when we went out to dinner "Is this is an Asian neighborhood?" I was like "Yes, if by 'neighbourhood' you mean 'the entire East Bay'."
Perhaps because I cooked a lot last weekend, or perhaps due to the heat, I didn't feel really like cooking this weekend. Luckily, the new place is only a couple of blocks from a Ranch 99, so I can go browse for easy lunch items.
Bottom:
- Mini pork buns
- Scallion pancake (cut into quarters and rolled up)
Top:
- Strawberries
- Green apple jellies
- Baby dill pickles
- Bun sauce
- Spreadable onion-shallot cheese (for the pancake)
Hawaiian bento!
Onigiri box:
- Sweet & sour meatballs made with ground beef and finely chopped water chestnuts, garlic and onion powder, and brown sugar and soy sauce. Sauce made with apricot preserves and apple cider vinegar. There's 3 in all, under the sauce cup. This box has a high lid and you can really fit a lot in.
- Sugar snap peas.
- Onigiri stuffed with crushed pineapple mixed with teriyaki sauce.
BTW, the preserves and the pineapple were both no-added-sugar variety. Why anyone feels the need to add sugar to pineapple is beynd me.
Sidecar:
- Deviled egg. The secret ingredient is pickle juice!
- Lychee jellies.
Bottom:
- Veggie-cream cheese rolls. These are carrots cut with a potato peeler, so they're thin and flexible. I used black olives (stuffed with a little cheese) and cucumber pieces. Put a dab of cheese at each end, roll up, and seal.
- Morningstar Farms ginger teriyaki veggie cakes. They have rice, soybeans, and other ingredients that are both tasty and nutritious.
Top:
- Pistachio-flavored whipped fruit salad.
- Yakitori chicken. I made a whole bunch of this Sunday night, and there's plenty to last for dinner all week and a few pieces with lunch. I don't like messing around with BBQs, so I cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, then marinated them for about 24 hours in 1/2 cup each soy sauce, honey, and sake, with 3 crushed garlic cloves. Then I threaded them on skewers and put them under the broiler for about 7-8 minutes.
- Blueberries.
This is kind of a hodgepodge because I was trying to use stuff I already had--rice, eggs, and yes, Spam, are all staples in my kitchen. And I usually have some form of Trader Joe's shelf-stable noodles on hand.
Onigiri box:
- Onigiri with minced teriyaki Spam.
- Peanut satay noodles.
- Sliced hardboiled eggs.
- Piggie has some extra teriyaki sauce
Snack box top:
- Strawberries.
Snack box bottom:
- Baby carrots.
- Ranch dressing.
- Pepper jack cheese.
- Fruit gelatins.
That was more food than I usually eat, but last week's bento left me feeling ravenous by dinnertime and I don't like that. I don't think it had enough protein in it.
-
Mini-baguette filled with butter & brie cheese. Since this is an artery-hardening cholesterolgasm, you will observe that everything else in the bento consists of fruits and vegetables. Even the dessert is dried fruit (under chocolate).
- Edamame skewers.
- Heirloom cherry tomatoes.
- Chocolate-covered dried bing cherries.
- Pixie tangerine.
- Kiwi.
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